Friday, December 28, 2007

Is the Window of Opportunity Closing on Your Dream of Coach Certification?

Today I got a call from a coach I knew years ago. He was trying to access the IAC website to finish their online certification test on the old Proficiencies before it’s taken down on January 1st and wondered if he still had time to get certified.

Yes, there’s still time – three days. So, if you haven’t gotten certified in the Proficiencies yet, then it’s probably time for you to begin studying the Masteries! ;-)

Are the Masteries just the old Proficiencies with different language? No.

I taught Thomas Leonard’s Proficiencies for years. They were a big upgrade in coaching technology at the time. Teaching them was priceless learning for me AND now that I’m teaching the new Masteries, I’m quadrupling what I’m learning.

I’m also shocked (and thrilled) to see how fast new coaches are learning mastery, using SCM’s unique approach to coach training. When I reflect on the teleclass format we used at the schools I studied at, as well as those I previous taught at, all I can say is “WHAT WERE WE THINKING??”

Of course graduates of those coaching schools got stuck in limbo, neither masterful nor successful, when their primary way to learn coaching was to get on a phone line and listen to somebody else talk about coaching (while students answered their email, cleaned house, or - like me - worked out)!

That’s crazy.

You need to be fully engaged in class, using new skills as soon as you learn them and getting precise feedback right away from an expert, so you can step into mastery immediately. Otherwise, you could spend a lifetime in triads and study groups without ever knowing if you’re getting it right or not.

I’ve been preparing coaches for IAC certification since it came into being, because it’s based on the one thing clients care about: masterful coaching. And these current newbies are going to coach better than us veterans pretty soon. Exciting – and kinda scary!

Anyhow, if you missed the boat on Proficiency-based certification, don’t fret. You can still get certified in the Masteries and if you want to blow the top off your own coaching ability – and make sure you actually get certified this time – then you may want to check out SCM’s Certified Coach Training Program. http://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/cctp.html

(Can you tell I'm biased?)

It’s for experienced, trained coaches who intend to be the best at what they do. You’ll be challenged, your skills expanded, your confidence solid, your mastery unquestioned. (And we’ll pay your certification fee!)

January is the perfect month to join. Have questions? Email here. Or call here: 877-224-2780